When Progress Energy agreed to be bought by Duke Energy, it was agreed that its CEO, Bill Johnson, would run the combined company. Instead, Johnson was pushed out by the board -- mere hours after he took over. But don't feel bad for him -- his golden parachute is enormous.

It's widely known that millionaires and billionaires pay taxes at a lower rate than those of us who make much less. But did you know that Americans collectively pay far higher income tax rates than many U.S. companies with billions of dollars in profits?

The Supreme Court kept up its corporatist streak Monday, handing down two key decisions that were certain to please the Chamber of Commerce. The first helped Wal-Mart quash a massive class action sex discrimination suit; the second stopped states from suing power companies over greenhouse gas emissions.

Yes, electric utilities are a mostly unloved sector among investors, even though everyone needs power. But maybe their steady and dividend-friendly shares have more appeal these days. Here's a look at three big names: American Electric Power, Constellation Energy and Allegheny Energy.

Companies such as Duke Energy and DuPont are off and running with megamergers early this year. Even Playboy is among the dealers. And market pros say the trend is far from over. Why are so many U.S. companies tying the knot? Fast growth is hard to come by in any other strategy.